EAGAN, Minn. – Demond Claiborne used to walk everywhere.
He didn't have a vehicle, so he got to King William High School's football field in rural Virginia on foot. Even when the summer heat soared above 100 degrees, Claiborne stepped to his proving ground with a raw training plan. His heart and dreams – both big – compensated for the expertise he lacked back then.
"I just remember those days, those times where it was just me running with bricks in my hands, just doing anything, because when I was younger, I didn't know how to train," he shared. "I just was doing whatever, like, flipping tires 100 yards … doing outrageous stuff, just thinking that I'm doing something."
Claiborne wasn't clueless, though. He was driven by his imagination and a guiding principle.
"I realized that in order to be different, I had to do different things," Claiborne strolled down memory lane with life experience outpacing his age. "And I would say during some of those times, it did get quiet at times – you know? It's just sometimes you could go through a little bit of an identity crisis not knowing who has your back or who's there for you. But also, like, in my mind, I was chasing a goal to get here."
The 22-year-old recently completed his final practice of his first offseason program in the National Football League before a summer break. The team maneuvered the draft board on Day 3 this year to trade up and select Claiborne 198th overall out of Wake Forest. He averaged 4.8 yards per rush with 24 total touchdowns across 24 games from 2024-25 and is supposed to be a lightning bolt for the offense.
"You can tell he's special when he steps out there on the field. He has a different gear to him," veteran Aaron Jones, Sr., said following a mandatory minicamp session last week. "Honestly, [he] looks a little bit like Jahmyr Gibbs in terms of that speed and that burst, so I'm excited to see it (during games), as well."
The comparison to the Lions running/receiving threat, who leads the league with 49 touchdowns since he was drafted 12th overall in 2023 and passed Barry Sanders for the most goal-line crossings before the age of 24 (Vikings Legend Randy Moss is third on that chart now with 44), is kind and from a wise source.
Jones, 31, is a smaller back at 5-foot-10 and 208 pounds than the stereotypical most-feared NFL rushers. He is triply dynamic, however, afflicting defenses as a slashing ball carrier, a receiving outlet capable of running a full route tree and a gallant pass protector. Jones cleared 10,000 career scrimmage yards last season and believes he has "a lot of football left" in him. He also knows Claiborne was brought in for a purpose; Jones voiced his hope that "someday, he does come and take [over the running back] position."
Of course, that's a future conversation. The present days are dominated by the generosity Jones already has shown Claiborne and undrafted rookie RB Kejon Owens ("KJ"). Jones is covering the expenses for the backs to join him on break in Miami and workout together. Jones calls them his "little brothers" and said, "they make me feel loved." Very self-aware, he added, "It makes me want to pour into them even more, and I tell them I'm here for them. I want to see them be successful. I see the way football can change your life, and your family's life and I want that for them, as well — so I'm here to give the game to them."
Claiborne senses that intent, and more.
"Since I've been here, he's been a great big brother, taking me under his wing, showing me the ropes," he said. "Even on my hard days, he's always been an ear, very supportive – somebody I can look up to."
Claiborne continued, "Aaron's giving me advice just on life in general, as a man, like, understanding that 'Hey, although you got drafted in the sixth round, don't let that be the end to your story.' You know what I mean? He's just letting me know that you can continue to go far and you can continue to push further."
The younger back, who is built similarly to Jones at 5-foot-10 and 188 pounds, texted his "big brother" one night around 10 p.m., simply asking about some of the offensive plays. Jones returned the message at 11:01 p.m., Claiborne recalled, and he mapped out all the answers Claiborne needed to be successful.
"It's definitely cool being around a guy like that; [he] genuinely doesn't want anything from me but to have success," Claiborne said. "He's told me before that he's been on a journey [in this league] … and he's happy. So, for him to be willing to help me and be there for me is definitely something I appreciate."
Claiborne was uplifted in the same way at Wake Forest when established running back Justice Ellison, who later transferred to Indiana and is an assistant coach there now, treated him like family instead of competition; Ellison "brought me food, taught me the plays, just taught me the game," Claiborne shared.
"Aaron has been like that (too), giving me clothes; he's given me a watch," Claiborne elaborated. "He does unique stuff, takes us out [to bond off the field]. But also … he's asking me questions on the field, so I know [details]. And even if I don't verbatim spit them back out to him, he's helping me along the way."
Some of the inside baseball advice, if you will, that Jones has deposited is the difference in ability up front. The defensive linemen pose greater problems in the NFL than college; they regularly play games with backs, flashing their helmet on one side of a block to bait their prey into a certain lane, and then as Jones put it, "they're swim-moving and right there" in the RB's face. Claiborne has realized, quickly, he noted, that "everybody has a job to execute, and nine times out of 10, they're going to execute that job."
As far as his jobs, Claiborne exudes confidence — and excitement to improve. He self-identifies as a one-cut player with a nose for the end zone. He brings up his receiving chops in the same breath as his speed and agility to make people miss in tight spaces. He can't wait to continue growing as a blocker, too, and is eager to potentially be involved as a returner — after all, he housed two kickoffs for the Demon Deacons.
"Throughout [the draft] process, [I heard] people say, 'He has to improve on BPU (blitz pickup),' but when you actually go and turn on the tape, that's a part of my game from freshman year to my senior year of college that I [upgraded] – not necessarily mastered, but picked up better than I did when I originally got to school – [in addition to] just being very physical at the point of attack," Claiborne stated.
With a little extra weight on his frame, and with adequate buy-in to the techniques implemented by Vikings running backs coach Curtis Modkins, Claiborne is sure that he will evolve into a player that Minnesota trusts with the rock in his hands — and the QB to his rear. Claiborne's favorite NFL legend, by the way, is Sanders, who stood 5-foot-8, granted "he had thicker quads than [me]," Claiborne quipped. He said he loves peeking the Pro Football Hall of Famer's lateral quickness and vertical burst in old clips.
"A lot of times people might down-look a smaller back, but some of the greatest backs in the history of the NFL have been on the smaller side," he said, naming Sanders and Walter Payton, who was 5-foot-10.
Claiborne needn't look far for proof or inspiration with Jones in the room, along with returning and once undrafted RBs Jordan Mason and Zavier Scott. Claiborne also doesn't need to become someone he's not.
He is a product of his environment, Aylett, Virginia — population about 8,000 — and moments that have tested him. His mother, a single parent, juggled multiple jobs to provide her five boys with opportunities they would have missed otherwise. Claiborne reflects on the time his Wake Forest running backs coach, John Hunter, threw him into the fire during a BPU drill and he "got messed up pretty bad." Claiborne took the punishment in stride, though, burying the tears in his eyes with laughter. From that day forward, Claiborne refused to be bullied, he shared. Contact? He became smitten with it and started "trying to smack people before they smack me and just playing the game how the game is supposed to be played."
Two mighty impressive college snaps epitomize the way Claiborne plays it.
The first occurred in the third quarter of the fourth game of his junior season, which was a 41-38 shootout loss versus Louisiana. Claiborne toted the pill 11 times for 34 yards before exploding for 60 and six points on his 12th and final carry of the contest, like a diet soda reacting to a tube of Mentos candies.
It's important to note the leadup to Claiborne bouncing an inside run to the crib. Ahead of halftime in that game, Claiborne's left knee got trapped underneath a pileup. Reactions alerted him to a gnarly sight.
"When I turned over, one of my teammates by the name of Walker Merrill looked down at my leg and started screaming. He's like, 'DC, your kneecap is dislocated!' And when I looked down, my knee was on the side. And so I started screaming, like, 'Ohhh, what's going on!?' " Claiborne retold, still blown away.
Then, "[Trainers] came onto the field (and) I passed out. I was out of there," Claiborne said. "I'd never seen that happen before in my life. They brought me back (and) popped my knee back in place. We went in (to the locker room), got an MRI, nothing was torn, and so they were like 'Hey man, it's up to you.' "
Without hesitation, Claiborne responded, " 'I'm going; throw me back out there!' "
"People thought I was dead out there and then I came back out a drive later and busted it 60 yards."
Although it was as unique a sequence as they come, Claiborne favored another snap as the ultimate "testament to who I am." It was a fumble on a designed quarterback keeper on the opening drive in the 10th game of his senior season against rival North Carolina that turned into a 51-yard TD dash by Wake Forest wide receiver Carlos Hernandez, who scooped the ball at the bottom of the "WF" midfield logo.
Claiborne began the play as a decoy, drifting left as QB Robby Ashford ran right, and he ended up jetting in front of Hernandez to block one defender into another, erasing both, and escorting him past the goal line. "Being an older guy, putting that on tape (to show my standard) meant a lot to me," said Claiborne.
Remember, he used to run with bricks in his hands, boldly, but was uncertain of its effect.
"Now that I'm here," Claiborne mused, searching for a sufficient word, "[it's a] remarkable blessing.
"I wouldn't trade this for the world," he said. "Being a kid, this was my goal — to make it to the NFL. At least today, at least I can always tell this story to people, like, 'Hey, I made it to the NFL.' I'm definitely humbled; I'm grateful for it; and I'm just ready to continue to work and show people what I'm about."
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